New York Times Strands Hints and Answers for December 9, 2024

Strands has yet another difficult word-search for anyone who loves these types of puzzles. In order to win, you need to figure out all the words you are looking for and the theme of the puzzle from one little clue. And the clue for this one is a little abstract.

This article is for those of you who already know how to play Strands, but just want some help with this puzzle alone. In the sections below, you can find spoiler-free theme hints, spoilers for individual words, and even the whole answer to the puzzle if you want to see it.

The NYT Games Strands Puzzle #281 December 9, 2024

The Strands puzzle for today has seven items to find: the Spangram and six themed words. The clue for this one is Quiet at First.

New York Times Games Strands Clues

Searching for some hints that won’t ruin whole words for this puzzle game? Inside the three sections below, you can find a spoiler-free clue to get you closer to the theme. Open each one up with the Read More button below it.

General Hint 1

Hint 1
: What words have something that is quiet at the beginning?

General Hint 2

Hint 2
: The beginning of the word is much quieter than the rest of it.

General Hint 3

Hint 3
: Other words that would fit right into this puzzle: knife, pterodactyl, wrinkle.

Spoilers for Two of the Words in Today’s Strands

For those who want a whole spoiler but aren’t interested in looking for non-themed words to save up for one, check out the two sections below. Inside each will be a single spoiler along with a screenshot of where that word goes in the puzzle.

Spoiler 1

Spoiler 2

The Answer to Today’s New York Times Games Strands

If you are just here for the answer to this minimalist puzzle game, you can find that in the section below. Before opening up this section, be aware that it will contain all the themed words and a screenshot of where all those words go in the letter grid.

The category for today is
SilentLetter
. The words are Mnemonic, Knuckle, Honesty, Wrap, Gnome, and Psalm.

Today’s Strands Explained

If you don’t get today’s puzzle, check out the section below. Inside this expandable section is an explanation of the clue, the theme, and the themed words and how they all go together in this mobile puzzle game.

The clue for today is
Quiet At First
because every word starts with a
silent letter
. All the themed words have a letter that you don’t pronounce at the beginning of it.

Want to play? Check out the New York Times Games Strands website available on almost any device with a browser.